


Arm For a Theft

by Angelicat2



Series: Whumptober 2020 [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Amputation, Blood and Injury, Body Horror, Fantastic Racism, Gen, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Mild Gore, Prompt: Wrongfully accused, Protective Team, Team as Family, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:48:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26822407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelicat2/pseuds/Angelicat2
Summary: Most people know the famous phrase, "An eye for an eye."One planet takes that saying too literally, setting their punishment equal to the crime committed. Of course, Keith's always in the wrong place at the wrong time, getting caught up in a crime he didn't commit. Even found innocent by the courts, he still gets hurt.
Relationships: Coran & Shiro (Voltron), Keith & Shiro (Voltron), Keith & Voltron Paladins, Keith/Shiro (Voltron), Shiro & Voltron Paladins
Series: Whumptober 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1951774
Comments: 18
Kudos: 108





	1. A Crime for a Crime

**Author's Note:**

> I plan on making more for this using some of the other prompts! But as it is, this chapter focuses on the prompt 'Wrongfully Accused.'
> 
> Enjoy!!

"Fuck them!"

Shiro doesn't even reprimand Pidge at all. He should, but he can't dare to, not with how he currently feels about ready to go down to that village to murder each and every alien there. He snarls on the inside, holding onto Keith harder than before. He can hear the tears in the Green Paladin's voice. Hunk currently stands in the far background, throwing up at the sight. Lance is deathly silent, face pale as Shiro has ever seen in the past six months that they've been fighting in an intergalactic war none of them knew about before.

"Fuck them!" Pidge cries again before coming up to Keith's side. The slightly taller doesn't react, out cold. It's good that he is, or Shiro would have to knock him out himself. The youngest scans the other, hissing loudly in sharp anger, "Fuck this whole planet! Fuck their customs! Fuck it all!"

Red seems to agree, an absolute burning presence in all of their minds, courtesy of their own lions. The mind melds always picked the worst times to act up and connect them outside of Voltron.

Shiro's right there with her, both the lion and his fellow human. Keith's in his arms, pale as paper. He's limp as can be, paladin armor ripped and dirty with poison green soil that covers the planet. He's covered in head-to-toe in it, a few smudges stuck to his chin and cheek. Shiro snarls again at the thought of how they had found their Red Paladin.

Discarded. Left in the dirt as if trash. Hurt.

Beyond hurt. Shiro knew hurt. He knew torture and pain, of cold nights in his cell. He knew the sharp sting of claws on his skin and electricity through his veins. He knew what it felt to have his arm completely sawed off while awake and aware. He knew what it was like to have his muscles feel as though they are tearing apart at the seams for years.

This...this was cruel and wrong. 

Keith's right arm lies limp at his side, covered in dirt and debris from where he'd been unceremoniously dumped. There was no sight of any intact flesh on his arm, all of it torn to bits until it looks like blended meat. There's clear indications that someone has used knives to slash through his limb repeatedly, leaving grooves that still bleed sluggishly. Shiro can even see some bone sticking out of a few spots, a sickening amount of muscle and skin gone as if stripped off. The bones that make up the delicate area of his wrist are shattered, bent in opposite directions from each other as if snapped tree branches. His hand is in worse shape, each finger broken and the whole appendage nearly hacked off.

Shiro is pretty sure the only thing saving him from joining Hunk is that this is his best friend, and he needs immediate medical attention and a pod. Red agrees again, roaring loudly in their minds as Shiro carefully picks up the smaller who makes no sound, dead weight. His head rolls against his shoulder, heavy as a bowling ball. Shiro winces as he stares, making sure Keith is breathing. Only a tiny rise and fall of his chest tells him he's still alive. The shoulder sways slightly, the upper shoulder unnaturally loose. He can see long slices into the armor in straight angles from the shoulder socket.

"Fucking, no good," Pidge growls before tightening her fists, "Jerks! 'We punish based upon the crime. Steal from us, and you will face equal punishment.' Well, crime my fucking ass! Keith didn't commit any crime. We fucking proved it and they did this! For some worthless junk that got stolen! If I see any of them, I'm going to-"

The scan beeps as Shiro starts for Black. He had decided earlier that they would search for their fifth in one lion, since they knew his location. They aren't that far away from her, just a brisk walk. He goes slower than that, not wanting to damage Keith more. His arm sways sickly still, and Shiro makes sure not to touch it.

"Son of a fucking!" Pidge curses before her eyes zip around at the specs, "No wonder his hand is barely attached! They stuck something between his radius and ulna and twisted it until it snapped the tendons and ligaments off. Fuck. I don't…"

Tears slide down her cheeks as she trails off. 

"I don't know if we can fix it," she confesses after a moment, "His hand is barely attached, his shoulder blade is broken and twisted, and I'm pretty sure his arm is cracked in way too many places. The dirt is the only thing keeping him from bleeding out completely."

"Hey, guys," Lance interrupts as he hurries to catch up with them, "I...think I know what they used to hurt him."

He brandishes Keith's blade, unwrapped and blood tacked to the grey metal in globs, mostly dried on. Shiro actually growls at the sight, forcing himself not to accidentally crush Keith in his grip. They used Keith's lineage against him.

They purposely punished him for a crime he didn't do. All because he's half-Galra. 

Shiro rushes to the Black Lion who waits for them, eyes bright yellow. He runs up to the ramp before gently placing Keith into Pidge's arms as she rests against the cool floor. She holds onto the other, hugging him close as if to not let him fade away. At the same time, Lance and Hunk appear. Lance quickly grabs a cloth and water pouch, cleaning the blade which Shiro nods at, glad he's thinking. At the same time, Hunk comes up by Pidge, holding onto Keith's left hand with his larger hands. 

"Come on, Keith," he frowns, chocolate brown eyes shining, "You're going to be okay."

As predicted, Keith doesn't respond, face still blank and dead to the world. Shiro goes to the pilot's seat before hurrying off to the castle ship. He pushes the lion to her limit, knowing the younger three have Keith secured enough. The lion doesn't fight him, pushing herself to hurry home. She must be able to feel his fear.

They're back in record time, and Shiro stands, seeing that Hunk now holds Keith in his grip. The older looks so fragile in his bigger arms, like a weak kitten in a mother's hold. Shiro nods at the other before they all take off for the pods.

As soon as they barge in, Coran is ready for them. His purple eyes go wide as he stares at Keith's destroyed arm. Luckily, he pulls himself together quickly before hurrying to one of the medical beds that pops up.

"Bring him here," the oldest Altean pats the bed before grabbing some equipment, "Hurry, hurry. We must fix whatever was done."

It snaps them out of their dazes, causing them to crowd around the bed. Hunk gently lays Keith down, limp as a doll. His arm rests all wrong, dirt and gunk smearing onto the table. 

"He's been put through the ringer," Coran frowns before grabbing some tools, "Number Five, can you grab me the scans. I need to have an idea of what has been damaged to know the next course of action."

"I...yeah," Pidge gulps before nodding, typing away, "Coran...I don't think we can save it…"

Coran peers at the scan before paling. He takes the equipment, putting some of it to the side before pulling out an oxygen mask. Carefully, he places it over Keith's nose and mouth, which is somehow clean. Shiro glances at Lance who gives him a shaky smile back. He sends a grateful one back before watching Coran put something into the mask's tube, the mist flowing up to Keith's face in a soft blue cloud.

"I'm going to have to anesthetize him so he isn't at risk to wake up for a few hours," Coran rushes on, grabbing a few new tools. Scalpels and scissors appear before a small bone saw is in the older's hand. Shiro's breath stops at the implication, "Any of you who are queasy at the sight of blood and gore should leave. Perhaps you too, Shiro, knowing your past."

Shiro blinks, not quite connecting Coran's words yet. He remembers a saw like that being used on his arm, but bigger.

Oh…

No…

"I...we...do we have to?" Shiro asks with a stressed voice, "Do we really have to remove his arm, Coran? Can't the pods heal it?"

"Unfortunately, no," Coran frowns before sighing exhaustedly, "The pods can heal bruises and cuts and torn flesh. But this is far worse, a true butchering. It'll only be a disservice to Number Four if we leave it."

The man fiddles with something, frown deepening with a touch of sadness.

"His arm will heal," the older sighs before he shakes his head, "But that will be punishment in and of itself. The pods can't regenerate flesh he would need, and I wouldn't dare do a skin grafting with this amount gone. He will never have proper functioning in the arm, and the scarring will be massive. For all we know, an infection could start and we do not need that. He does not need that."

"I...okay," Shiro sighs before rubbing his face, "I'm staying though."

"Shiro-" Pidge starts only for him to cut her off.

"I have to stay," Shiro shakes his head before clenching his mechanical fist tightly, "I don't care if Keith is unconscious, he needs me. I promised I'd never give up on him, and I mean it still."

The youngest glances at Coran, who nods back, before she stands down. 

"Okay," she nods before turning to the other two, “Can you two tell Allura what happened? She’ll want to take care of everything with the Credatolins.”

“Sure,” Lance nods before sighing, placing Keith’s knife down on the table that sits beside Keith, “We’ll do that.”

“Yeah,” Hunk nods before his eyes water, “Whoever did this is fucked up, man. They need to be caught before they hurt another innocent person. Just...let us know how he is? When you’re done, I mean, if...if you can?”

“For sure,” Coran nods before grabbing some clothes, likely to stem the flow of blood, “He will need to be put in a pod after the procedure, to heal up the cuts and torn areas so they do not get infected. As it is, I assume we’ll have to take the whole arm, and perhaps part of the shoulder. As the scans say, his shoulder blade is shattered to pieces at the end, so that will have to be carefully removed. We’ll also need to put in a shoulder blade replacement to attach his collarbone somewhere too...”

It hits all of them.

This is serious.

This is dangerous.

Shiro nods, hurrying to put on the necessary clothes to help out. Pidge does the same by his side, choosing clothes a few sizes smaller. The other two leave the room with shared worried glances, and Coran messes with a bit more equipment before they all meet back up by Keith, who is looking a tiny bit more peaceful than before, though not much. 

“You two ready?” The oldest asks softly, “It’s going to be a rough surgery, but we can’t take him to a hospital out here...not without causing him unneeded pain.”

Pain that he’s already suffered way too long. Shiro takes a deep breath, envisioning Keith’s voice in his head as he thinks, ‘Patience yields focus.’ The younger is smiling brightly, the type he only seemed to use around Shiro. The kind the older got from races in the desert and telling a cheesy nerdy joke.

He wants Keith to be able to have that again.

He nods before grabbing a marker to mark off where Coran points to.

He can make it through this…

For Keith’s sake.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith gets out of the pod.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For day 6-"Stop, please"

Surgery is…

Tough.

Shiro sits down by the pod with his hands over his face. He’s tired...no, exhausted beyond relief but he knows that he will not get any sleep until he sees Keith out of the pod. Just watching the whole thing made him twitchy with nerves. He had to stop himself from going into flashbacks every few minutes, having to differentiate between Keith’s surgery and his own that he remembers.

At least Keith got painkillers for his…

Sadly, not during the event that led them here.

Shiro relaxes into the floor, staring up at his best friend. Is this how Keith and the rest of them felt when he had been in the pod for the witch’s lightning strike to his side? Did they feel this nervous that something could go wrong? That the pod could malfunction and kill Keith at any time? He had heard Lance right all those months ago when he said that the pod had frozen him and nearly killed him when the castle malfunctioned, right? He didn’t make that up, right?

“Shiro,” a voice interrupts his inner turmoil as he shakes his head. Blue eyes stare straight into his, white hair down in gentle waves like cotton candy clouds, “He will be okay.”

“H-How?” Shiro asks softly before his left hand - his flesh hand - grabs his right where metal connects to skin, “How do you know?”

“Because he is strong,” Allura answers back before settling by his side, staring up at the pod, “Much stronger than any of us would have ever admitted. I certainly know that if he had lived when my home was around, father would have made him a knight, maybe his personal Royal Guard.”

Shiro gazes at the pod too. Keith is still out, all of his shoulder gone. There are bandages on there, hiding the true extent of the wounds and scars, but he doesn’t need to look to remember where they lie. He grips his fist tightly before a frustrated hiss leaves him.

“But how do you know?” He asks again, voice heavy as ever, “How do you know he’ll be okay? You don’t just become okay, Allura. Getting a new arm doesn’t make you whole, won’t make him okay, I know. I’m living it, but...God...I never wanted Keith out here. I didn’t want him getting hurt like this. I...he’s the closest thing I have to a home out here, and I missed him when I was away…”

“It’s okay,” Allura smiles back, something wise in her eyes, “It’s okay to not be okay. And I don't think Keith regrets being out here."

"But-"

"Hush now," Allura sends him a stern look, which instantly shuts him up, "I will not stand for this unnecessary guilt. Did you grab Keith by the hand and force him to come to space with you?"

"No, but-"

"Exactly, no," the princess stares up at Keith, a regretful sadness flowing through her body language, "You have done nothing to feel guilty of. I only wish I had done the same."

"Princess," he frowns, seeing the tears beginning to collect in sapphire eyes, "You aren't-"

"I was," she acknowledges before shaking her head, "I will openly admit that I was cruel to Keith. I was so horrible to him after we found out. I...didn't know how to react, and I chose the wrong way to let out my anger. The wrong person. Like I said, my father would have made him a Royal Guard had he been alive then. He's strong and loyal, and I have no doubt he will survive this. And he has you."

"He has all of us," Shiro answers back softly, sending a grateful smile her way, "Including you."

"I…" She stares in shock, eyes wide as ever before she grins back, "Thank you. I need to apologize again, properly this time."

"I'm sure he already forgave you long ago," Shiro nods, "He's not one to hold grudges, after all. But an apology can never hurt."

A moment of silence echoes around them before the Altean shifts, watching him. He pretends not to notice, gazing over his best friend. The wound might be healing, as the bruises are fading a bit. But maybe not, as he can't see them because of the bandages.

"It's not your fault."

Shiro blinks, glancing at her.

"His punishment isn't your fault," Allura frowns, "It's not our fault either. We proved him innocent, and we know without a doubt that he did not do the crime. It is the one who did this who is the unlawful one. We will find them and get justice. You don't just harm a Paladin of Voltron and get away with it. Perhaps the lions will judge this person."

"I'm sure Red would love that," Shiro snorts silently before tapping his mechanical fingers to an invisible beat, "Her paladin was hurt, and she's always been the most protective of the lions."

"She is," Allura grins slightly. She opens her mouth to say something when movement jerks Shiro to the pod. Blinking, he glances at his best friend. 

Keith's brows are down in pain and anguish, nose scrunching a bit. Sweat curls along his hair, creeping down pale cheeks. Shiro can see his left hand twitching some, in a strange rhythm. His breathing picks up some, silent to them behind sealed glass. 

"What's happening?"

"It seems he is having a nightmare," Allura frowns at the scans, "I'm going to pull him out. He's healed enough and this may evolve into a panic attack if we do not get him out. Get ready to catch him."

Shiro jumps up, all the warning he gets before the pod opens up, chilly fog pouring out into the air. He just barely gets his arms onto the other before Keith drops like a stone. Collapsing, Shiro takes the brunt of it, Keith landing on his chest. The younger is still twitching, panting unevenly as his left hand claws at Shiro's side.

"Stop, please," Keith cries out weakly, "No more...please...I didn't...Didn't do it. Just...stop...stop!"

"Keith, wake up!" Shiro shakes him gently. The other shakes his head, eyes still closed tightly. By now, he's shaking a bit, and Shiro's worry grows, "Keith! It's okay! You're back at the castle. Wake up. Wake up, buddy. Come on."

Keith jerks awake, a quiet gasp on his lips as his eyes fly open. They skid around wildly before settling on him. They're hazy, in a way that Shiro knows means Keith isn't with him all the way. Getting out of a pod is disorienting on a good day, much less free from a nightmare.

"That's it, buddy," he praises as he rubs Keith's left shoulder, "You're free. This is real. I'm here."

"Sh-shiro?" Keith croaks before his gaze focuses more on Shiro's face, "I...you...what?"

"I got you," Shiro nods before holding onto him more, "I got you."

Keith blinks, eyes growing tired.

"Go to sleep," Shiro stares at his world, torn and hurt but alive, "I'll explain everything later. We'll talk more."

Keith slips asleep, head resting against his chest. Shiro can't ignore the fact that Keith's empty side where the arm should be digs into his left side. He gently scoops up the younger before sending Allura a look.

"Stay with him," she nods, "I'll let the others know he's out. Take care of him."

Shiro nods, taking him to his room. He doesn't meet anyone, pausing at the room. When he opens the door, he stares. The whole room seems cold and impersonal in a way Shiro doesn't like.

He closes the door, going to his room instead. Carefully, he tucks the younger into it before getting ready to sit in a chair nearby. A hand on his wrist stops him, grey-purple eyes watching him quietly. Said hand tugs him onto the bed, a hidden strength in there as Shiro plops onto the bed. The younger practically paws at him before sighing miserably.

"Okay, okay," Shiro snickers before sitting under the covers, removing his boots before covering up. He gets comfortable, Keith resting on his chest, a content sigh coming this time as he slips back asleep, "I got you."

That's how they fall asleep, Shiro's arm curling around Keith. The younger's missing shoulder is up, bandages bold against the pod suit cut specifically to fit Keith. He holds onto the younger, slipping into a disturbed sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What should the next chapter be? I was thinking that Keith wakes up and proceeds to freak out over the arm missing.


End file.
